In keeping with the pattern of occurrence it has shown throughout the winter thus far, the Short-billed Gull once again returned to the soggy ballfields at the northeastern shoreline of Randall's Island during this afternoon's rain. Several of us were eying the forecast as potentially productive in the preceding days, and credit is due to Xander Vitarelli for finding the time to brave the weather and search for the bird.
I will reiterate to all would-be chasers that the congregations of Ring-billed Gulls that have brought the Short-bill to Randall's typically only occur during wet, rainy days. The first observation by Andrew Farnsworth coincided with the passage of Winter Storm Elliott on December 23rd, and a similarly damp day on January 3rd resulted in another visit, with the gull refound by Adam Cunningham. In more agreeable conditions, the flocks associating with this remarkable vagrant most likely range throughout the waterways of NYC, potentially as far south as the coast of Brooklyn and north to the western Sound. Looking ahead, the current projections call for rain Sunday evening into Monday and again on Wednesday. If you are seeking to connect with this gull, I would highly recommend keeping an eye on the weather. Cheers, -Tim H -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
